Self-sealing doors



Jan. 22, 1957 c. oTTo 2,778,785

SELF-SEALING DOORS Filed July 17, 1953 2 SheetS-SheerI l \\\\\l TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.

WWW i/ Jan. 22, 1957 C. OTTO 2,778,785

SELF-SEALING DOORS Filed July 17, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE OR CQRL OT United States Patent O SELF-SEALING DOORS Carl Otto, Manhasset, N. Y.

Application `uly 17, 1953, Serial No. 368,779

' 2 claims. (cl. 2oz- 248) The general object of the present invention is to improve self-sealing coke oven doors of known type in which each door is surrounded by and supports a exible metallic sealing band which normally engages an outwardly facing door frame sealing surface which surrounds the doorway closed by the door. In one form of such coke oven doors shown, for example, in the Wolff Patent 1,908,501 of May 9, 1933, the sealing band consists of a thin strip of flexible metal having flat sides extending perpendicularly away from the door frame sealing surface and having its outer edge engaged by screwsor the like supported by the door body. Said screws are adjustable to change the contour of the inner edge of the sealling strip as required so as to more or less closely approximate continuous sealing contact between said sealing surface and the inner edge of the sealing strip at all points along the length of the latter.

In another form of self-sealing door of the general type mentioned, a flexible sealing strip has one llat side clamped against a peripheral surface of the door body parallel to the door axis so that the strip is normaily frictionally held in fixed position relative to the door. In the last mentioned type of door, the clamping force acting against the strip is such as to prevent the sealing strip from slipping over the sealing surface under the normal sealing pressure, which may be of the order of ten tons per door, but is not great enough to prevent individual portions of the strip from being moved toward the door frame sealing surface, when displaced from the latter, by hammer blows applied to the outer edge of the strip. One door of the general form last described, is disclosed in my prior application, Serial No. 323,807, liled December'S, 1952.

The present invention is adapted for use with door sealing means of either of the two-forms described above. 'I'he invention is' characterized by the replacement of a single strip sealing band by a sealing unit comprising two or more side-by-side sealing band strips which surround the corresponding door body and are arranged to provide a spacebetween the inner portions of side-by-side sealing band strips of the unit. The outer portions of the adjacent sides of adjacent sealing strips are in contact with one another or with an interposed spacing element. The sealing band unit engaging the door frame sealing surface thus includes a labyrinthic packing portion which prevents or materially minimizes the leakage which might otherwise 'occur through the joint between the door frame sealing surface and the inner edges of the sealing strips normally engaging said door frame sealing surface.'

` In the use of coke oven doors having single strip sealing units as shown in the above mentioned patents, it has been found practically impossible to avoid some leakage'through the joint between the outwardly facing sealing surface of the door frame and the inner edge of the associated sealing strip, under some conditions, such as when the coal being coked is nely divided and relatively dry. Relatively wet coal is customarily coked in some coke oven plants'in this country and in'most European coke ICS oven plants, and in such plants tar is rapidly formed in the initial stages of the coking operation under such conditions as to effectively seal the joints between the sealing strips and the transverse door frame sealing surfaces through which leakage would occur if the coal were drier.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, its advantages, and specific objects attained with its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section through a portion of a coke oven including a door Way and an oven door closing the doorway;

Fig. 2 is a reproduction on a larger scale of a portion of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 with parts broken away;

Y Fig. 4 illustrates one modification; and Fig. 5 illustrates a second modification of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 shows two positions of a drift displacedv from one another about the drift axis;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a sealing strip scraper; and

Fig. 8 illustrates a modification of the scraper shown in Fig. 7..

The embodiment of they invention illustrated by way of example in Figs. 1- to 3, comprises a section of a coke oven battery A of conventional type including horizontal coking chambers B alternating with heating walls C along the length of the battery. A metallic door frame D surrounds the corresponding end of an oven chamber and may be anchored in place in a known manner, as by connections to the adjacet buekstrays E atl the ends of the heating walls. Each oven chamber end is normally closed by a correspending coke oven door F. The door F comprises a metallic outer portion or door body G, and an inner or plug portion H. The latter consists mainly of non-metallic refractory material andv extends into the adjacent end of the oven chamber closed by the door. The plug portion H of the door is secured to the metallic door body G by metallic brackets h engaging the edges of the door portion and bolted or welded to the pltae-like portion of the metallic door body G. The door body G extends across the doorway and overlaps a portion of the outwardly facing sealing surface d of the corresponding door frame D.

The door body G includes an outwardly extending rim portion g which, as shown, has a thickened portion adjacent the inner side of the door body with a peripheral surface I parallel to the axis of the door. As shown in Figs. 1 and-2, the peripheral surface l of the door body is engaged by a sealing strip I forming a continuous band engaging the outer surface I of the door body and having its inner edge in engagement with the outwardly facing door frame sealing surface d. In accordance with `the present invention, the sealing strip or band J is surrounded by a similarly shaped sealing member Ja so proportioned that its inner side fits snugly against the outer side of the strip I. VThe sealing strips I and `Ja are shaped' and arranged to form a space or groove j between the edges of the strips engaging the door frame surface d. The sealing strips l and Ja are pressed against the door body surface I by a multiplicity of clamping elements K which directly engage the outer -side of the strips la and may take Various forms.

As shown, each clamping element K comprises a barlike portion generally parallel to the surface l, and having a protuberance or rounded projection K engaging the outer side of the outer sealing strip Ja. At its outer end each clamping member K has a transverse outer end portion K2 with its free end in engagement with the rim portion of the metallic door body. Each member K is clamped in place by means of a bolt-like member L having its outer end attached to the body portion of the member K. The member L extends through an opening in the door rim g, and has its inner end in threaded engagement with a nut M engaging the inner side of the rim g. A resilient washer N may be interposed between the rim g and the nut M. The bolt portion L may be welded to the corresponding member K, or may be formed integrally with the latter in a die molding operation. The clamping elements K shown in the drawings may take various forms and in particular, the forms disclosed and claimed in my prior application Serial No. 323,807, tiled December 3, 1952. For the purpose of the present invention, however, the clamping member K may be replaced by other clamping elements such, for example, as the elements shown in my prior application Serial No. 310,776, led September 2, 1952, but not claimed as my invention.

The groove or space j between the inner edge portions of the side-by-side sealing strips l and Ia shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is formed by oppositely beveling the inner edge portions of the two sealing strips. Alternatively, a space or groove ja between the inner edge portions of side-by* side sealing strips may be formed by interposing a at spacer strip P between strips I and Ja', as shown in Fig. 4. The strip P may or may not be of the same thickness as the body portions of the strips J' and Ja. The strip P need not differ in shape or arrangement from the strips I and Ja', except in having its inner edge spaced outwardly away from the inner edges of said strips. The outer edge of the strip P may, but need not, be iiush with the outer edge of either of the strips I and Ja'.

The inner edge portions of the strips 5' and Ia shown in Fig. 4 may be beveled as are the inner edges of the strips I and Ja shown in Figs. 1 and 2. However, such beveling of the strips I and Ja is not required to provide a suitable space ja. When the inner edges of the strips J and Ja are not beveled, they may advantageously be rounded as shown in Fig. 3. The thickness of the strips I' and la may well be not more than 1/s of an inch and in some cases may well be not more than IAG of an inch, so that with little or no rounding, the strip surface engaging the sealing surface d will be of suitable width. The reduction of the usual sealing strip width from 1A; of an inch to from 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch, cheapens the construction cost of the sealing means and reduces the time and energy required to suitably minimize the leakage space between each sealing strip and the door frame surface d.

The usual sealing band Jv comprises two similar vertical sections at opposite sides of the door body G and two horizontal sections one above the top and the other below the bottom of said door body. The upper end of one of said vertical sections of the strip J is shown in Fig. 3 as welded to the adjacent end portion of the top section of the band J. As is explained in my prior, application Serial No. 355,606, filed May 18, 1953, a sealing strip band of the general character of the band J may be formed from two separate vertical sections and two separatev horizontal sections by welding the ends of the upper horizontal section to the upper ends of the two vertical sections and welding the lower ends of the vertical sections to the ends of the lower horizontal section. Alternatively, as is also described in said application, Serial No. 355,606, a band of the general character of the band I may be formed by banding a single sealing strip into a suitable rectangular form and then welding together the ends of the strip. As will be apparent, each of the bands I, Ia, I', Ja and Ib' shown herein, may be of either of the forms mentioned.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5, there are three side-byside strips l', Ia and lb' employed with one spacer strip P between the strips I and Ja and a second spacer strip Pa between the strips ia' and Jb. While three or more side-by-side sealing strips, spaced as shown in Fig. 4, are theoretically capable of providing better protection against leakage than are the two spaced apart strips shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the advantage obtainable in practice by using more than two side-by-side strips over the use of two strips as shown in Figs. 1-4, is ordinarily of little or no practical importance.

To facilitate the application of hammer blows to the outer edge of each of the strips I and la shown in Figs. 1 and 2, l may malte use of a drift Q in the form of a bar having a relatively thin end portion Q' laterally displaced from the axis of the strip so that when the side Q2 of the drift Q bears against the surface I, the end portion Q may engage the outer edge of the strip I, and so that when the drift Q is rotated about its axis and its side 3 is in engagement with the surface I, the drift projection Q will be in register with the outer edge of the strip Ia. A similarly shaped drift Q may be used in adjusting the strips I vand Ia' of Fig. 3.

In the use of three side-by-side sealing strips as shown in Fig. 5, the drift Q may be used in hammering the strips I and Ja into suitable engagement With the surface d, and a drift similar to the drift shown in Fig. 4, but of larger diameter, may be used in applying hammer blows to the strip 3b. Alternatively. a larger drift may be angularly adjusted into three different positions so that its projection Q' may engage successively the three strips I, I a and J b while the body of the drift bears against the surface I.

As those skilled in the art will recognize, it is necessary to clean the inner edges of the sealing strips periodically to prevent objectional accumulations thereon of hardened non-metallic material which increases in thickness and hardness as the intervals between cleaning periods increase. The multiple strips disclosed herein may be advantageously cleaned by the use of a scraper instrument of either of the forms shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The scraper instrument R shown in Fig. 7 is intended for use in scraping edge portions of the strips I and Ja shown in Figs. 1 and 2, when the latter are out of engagement with the surface d and are in position to be cleaned. The instrument R comprises a tapered projection r shaped and sized to t snugly between the oppositely beveled surfaces of the elements I and Ia, with aligned shoulders r at opposite sides of the projection r engaging the sealing edges of the strips I and Ja. The scraper instrument Ra shown in Fig. 8 is devised and adapted for use in cleaning thefedges of the strips I and In shown in Fig. 4. For this purpose, the instrument Ra is formed with a projection ra arranged to extend into the space ja, and with projections rb and rc at opposite sides of and spaced away from the projection ra, arranged to bear against the sides of the strips I and Ja remote from the space In. As shown, the grooves between the projections ra and rb and between the projections ra and rc have rounded bottoms to receive the rounded ends of the strips I' and Ja. The scraper Ra may also be used in cleaning the strips J', Ja and I b shown in Fig. 3 by inserting the projection m first in one then in the other of the spaces ja at opposite sides of the strip In.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, I have illustrated and described the best forms of embodiment of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the forms of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims and that in some cases certain features of my invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: l

1. A self-sealing door for coke ovens and the'like coniprising in combination, a door body normally extending across an opening in a door frame having an outwardly facing sealing surface, a door sealing unit supported by said door body and normally in engagement with said door frame surface and uniting with said door body to form a removable closure for said opening, and comprising a plurality of strips surrounding said door body and having their at sides perpendicular to said sealing surface, means connected to said door body for applying pressure to the outer side of said unit and thereby frictionally opposing movement of each strip in the direction of its at sides relative to said door body, said unit strips having inner edges normally in engagement with said door frame surface and separated from one another by a space whereby said unit and sealing surface cooperate to provide a labyrinth seal against leakage between said surface and unit, the outer edge of the strip closest to said door body being farther away from said sealing surface then the outer edge of the strip spaced from said door body, whereby the outer edges of both sealing strips are positioned to receive hammer blows to individually adjust their positions relative to said sealing surface.

2. A self-sealing door for coke ovens and the like comprising in combination, a door body normally extending across an opening in a door frame having an outwardly facing sealing surface, a door sealing unit supported by said door body and normally in engagement with said door frame surface and uniting with said door body to form a removable closure for said opening, and comprising a plurality of side-by-side strips surrounding said door body and having their flat sides perpendicular to said sealing surface, said unit strips having inner edges normally in engagement with said door frame surface and separated from one another by a space whereby said unit and sealing surface cooperate to provide a labyrinth seal against leakage between said surface and unit, the outer edge of the strip closest to said door body being farther away from said sealing surface than the outer edge of the strip spaced from said door body, whereby the outer edges of both sealing strips are positioned to receive hammer blows to individually adjust their positions relative to said sealing surface, and clamping means carried by said door body and being engageable with the outer flat side of the strip spaced from said door body for applying a force thereagainst toward said door body, whereby to clamp both said strips.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,958,305 Kent May 8, 1934 2,007,318 Wilhelm July 9, 1935 2,157,569 Potter May 9, 1939 2,202,395 Otto et al. May 28, 1940 2,283,282 Otto May 1,9, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 554,550 Germany Ian. 13, 1933 563,285 Germany Feb. 19, 1935 812,312 France May 7, 1937 965,801 France Sept. 22, 1950 502,824 Belgium May 15, 1951 810,152 Germany Aug. 6, 1951 994,685 France Nov. 21, 1951 682,811 Great Britain Nov. 19, 1952 

1. A SELF-SEALING DOOR FOR COKE OVENS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A DOOR BODY NORMALLY EXTENDING ACROSS AN OPENNG IN A DOOR FRAME HAVING AN OUTWARDLY FACING SEALING SURFACE, A DOOR SEALING UNIT SUPPORTED BY SAID DOOR BODY AND NORMALLY IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID DOOR FRAME SURFACE AND UNITING WITH SAID DOOR BODY TO FORM A REMOVABLE CLOSURE FOR SAID OPENING, AND COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF STRIPS SURROUNDING SAID DOOR BODY AND HAVING THIER FLAT SIDES PERPENDICULAT TO SAID SEALING SURFACE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DOOR BODY FOR APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE OUTER SIDE OF SAID UNIT AND THEREBY FRICTIONALLY OPPOSING MOVEMENT OF EACH STRIP IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS FLAT SIDES RELATIVE TO SAID DOOR BODY, SAID UNIT STRIPS HAVING INNER EDGES NORMALLY IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID DOOR FRAME SURFACE AND SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER BY A SPACE WHEREBY SAID UNIT AND SEALING SURFACE COOPERATE TO PROVIDE A LABYRINTH SEAL AGAINST LEAKAGE BETWEEN SAID SURFACE AND UNIT, THE OUTER EDGE OF THE STRIP CLOSEST TO SAID DOOR BODY BEING FARTHER AWAY FROM SAID SEALING SURFACE THEN THE OUTER EDGE OF THE STRIP SPACED FROM SAID DOOR BODY, WHEREBY THE OUTER EDGES OF BOTH SEALING STRIPS ARE POSITIONED TO RECEIVE HAMMER BLOWS TO INDIVIDUALLY ADJUST THEIR POSITIONS RELATIVE TO SAID SEALING SURFACE. 